


Because of You

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic [99]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Music, Dysfunctional Family, Family Drama, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Parent-Child Relationship, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 14:15:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7577272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>LJ Comment Fic for AU prompt: <i>Stargate Multiverse, John Sheppard +/ Rodney McKay, musician AU</i></p><p>In which John meets Rodney's mother under less than ideal circumstances, and proves that he is a man worthy of Rodney's affections.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Because of You

Rodney had never had so much trouble working on a composition. Then again, he’d never tried composing while John was sprawled on his couch, limbs loose and eyes closed, listening to him work. Even when he wasn’t saying anything, John was incredibly distracting.

“Could you stop that?”

“Stop what?” John asked without opening his eyes.

“Stop…being you. Just long enough for me to finish this.”

John huffed out a laugh. “Sorry, buddy. I don’t know how to be anyone else.” He stretched, all lean muscle, and scratched idly at his stomach, pushing his t-shirt up to expose a tantalizing strip of skin.

Rodney’s hands faltered. How could he write under those conditions? He temporarily abandoned his original composition and started playing _Minnie the Moocher_. John’s lips curled up in a smirk, and he undulated his body in time to the music. He ran his hands down over his thighs, and then back up, catching the hem of his shirt and pulling it even further up his chest.

“So hot,” Rodney murmured. He didn’t even make it to the first chorus.

He knelt beside the couch, his hands moving over John with the same confidence they moved over the piano keys.

“You have the best hands,” John said breathily. 

“And you make the best noises,” Rodney replied. He loved wringing moans, growls and whimpers out of John. He thought of it as sex music, and one day he was going to try and compose it. An Ode to Sensuality. 

Rodney was just starting to slide the zipper down on John’s jeans when his cell phone rang. He debated answering it, especially when he was so close to getting John’s really good, guttural noises, but he had to at least check to see who was calling, in case it was an emergency.

It was an emergency.

_Madison’s gone!_

“What happened?” Rodney was already on his feet and looking for his car keys. John, who must’ve registered the serious tone of his voice, was pulling on his sneakers.

_She was playing in the yard, with her friend Kelsey. Mer, I don’t know what to do!_

“Jeannie, you have to calm down. I’ll take care of it. I’m pretty sure I know where they are.”

_How could she do this? She promised!_

“You need to get a restraining order this time,” Rodney said. “I know you don’t want to, but this has to stop.”

_Just find her! Please!_

“I’ll call you as soon as I do.”

“What’s going on?” John asked when Rodney ended the call.

Rodney sighed. Things were going so well with John, and he’d hoped never to have to expose him to his family drama. Some things weren’t meant to be shared. Well, he certainly wasn’t going to lie about it. He cared too much about John to do that.

“My mom walked off with Madison. Feel like taking a ride?”

*o*o*o*

John didn’t ask any questions on the drive to Sunrise Park, though Rodney could bet he had about a million of them. He wasn’t sure how to have that particular conversation, though. How do you tell the guy you’re dating that your mother is a lunatic, a very congenial drunk who keeps sweet-talking her way out of trouble? If the shoe were on the other foot, Rodney might be wondering about genetics and the chances of his boyfriend inheriting the impulse to drink his life away.

“Okay, look,” Rodney said finally, breaking the silence. “Jeannie should’ve gotten a restraining order against our mother years ago, but because of misplaced loyalty, or stupid emotional reasons, she can’t make herself do it. And that useless husband of hers won’t make her do it, either, or do it on his own. And so every six or so months, something like this happens and I have to fix it.”

“Okay,” John replied cautiously.

Rodney’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “When we get there, don’t engage her. And don’t listen to anything that comes out of her mouth.”

“Okay.” 

“Stop being so agreeable!” Rodney snapped. “Maybe you should stay in the car.”

“Hey, no. No way. You don’t have to do this alone.” John reached over and placed his hand on Rodney’s leg. “I’ll back you up.”

There was no reason for that to make Rodney’s throat tighten up, but it did. He nodded, and took the Maple Street exit.

Rodney’s mother had always loved Sunrise Park. When he and Jeannie were kids, she took them there a lot. Sometimes in the rain or the snow, and make them go on the swings or bob up and down on the see-saw, even if they were cold or tired or she’d forgotten their coats. Now that he was an adult, Rodney tried to avoid any parks that had playgrounds in them, and he was pretty sure that Kaleb had to take Madison if she wanted to go, because Jeannie hated them too.

Sure enough, there was Helen, pushing Madison on the swing. Rodney’s niece didn’t look any worse for wear: she was chatting with her grandmother while she pumped her legs to swing higher, though she did seem relieved to see Rodney and John.

“Hey, Mom,” Rodney said.

“Isn’t it a lovely day to be outside?” Helen asked. She was wearing a flowered sundress that was a size too small, and far too short for Rodney’s liking. She’d always had trouble dressing her age.

“It is, but Madison needs to go home. We talked about this. You can’t just take her without making plans first.”

Helen scowled, and Rodney knew how much they looked alike when she did that; he’d inherited her lopsided mouth. “Jeannie never answers the phone when I call. It’s not a crime to want to spend time with my granddaughter.”

“Uncle John, watch this!” Madison called out. On her next swing she jumped, just barely landing on her feet.

John applauded. “How about we go sit on that bench over there and call your mom?”

Rodney shot him a grateful look.

“Is that your boyfriend?” Helen asked. “Is he one of those twinks?”

“No, Mom.” Rodney flushed, embarrassed. “I thought we had an agreement after the last time. No more spontaneous visits.”

“I didn’t agree to that.”

Rodney just barely kept from grinding his teeth. “Listen to me very carefully. This time I’m making Jeannie get a restraining order. You’ll be arrested if you come within two hundred feet of the house, or Jeannie or Madison. Is that what you want? You want to go to jail?”

“Jeannie wouldn’t do that to me,” Helen said with a sniff. “Do you remember all the fun we had here? You were so cute back then, Meredith. All blonde curls and big blue eyes. The other mothers were jealous, you know. None of their children could hold a candle to you.”

“You need to focus, Mom. I’m taking Jeannie to the police station and we’re going to file the restraining order. It’s going to happen. You need to have pre-arranged, supervised visits, remember?”

Rodney knew he might as well be talking to the swings. Helen wouldn’t listen. She’d stay away, like he asked, but it wouldn’t last. It never did. He hated having to involve the authorities. They’d tried that a time or two in the past, but since Jeannie never reported Helen, it was just their word against hers. And she could be scarily good at coming off as a reasonable, misunderstood grandma who just wanted to spend time with her little granddaughter.

As functional alcoholics went, she was a damn good one.

“Why do you have to be so hateful?” Helen asked, her eyes filling with tears. “Didn’t I understand when I caught you giving that boy a blowjob? I accepted you, even though you were different!”

She’d been accepting, all right. Gave him pointers, told him the ways his father had enjoyed having his dick sucked. That whole episode had made him celibate for months.

“This isn’t the same thing.” Rodney rubbed a hand over his face. “We’re taking Madison home. And you’ll be hearing my lawyer. John?”

John held Madison’s hand as they walked out of the park, leaving Helen standing by the swings. Rodney couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

“Is grandma in trouble?” Madison asked, looking over her shoulder.

“Yes,” Rodney replied. 

“I didn’t want to come. I was playing with Kelsey. But grandma looked sad. We took the bus. Is Mommy mad at me?”

“No, sweetheart. Mommy’s not mad.” Rodney reached out and tugged one of her ponytails. “She was worried about you.”

“Oh. Okay.” Madison tipped her head up to look at him. “What’s a blow job?”

“I hate my life,” Rodney moaned.

*o*o*o*

Rodney sat at the piano, fingers picking out random notes. He was too depressed to play.

Jeannie had cried all over him, grateful that he’d found Madison and handled the situation. Rodney didn’t understand her sometimes. She could be totally fierce on his behalf, and had a short temper that he’d been on the wrong side of plenty of times. But it was like Helen was her kryptonite, rendering her powerless even when her own daughter was caught in the middle.

Rodney had bundled everyone in the car, and dropped John off at his place on their way to the police station. Kaleb finally manned up, and between him and Rodney they’d convinced Jeannie to finally get an order of protection against Helen. There’d be a hearing, in two weeks at the latest, and Rodney really wasn’t looking forward to that. But they had to stop enabling their mother, or the next time she might try and take Madison somewhere much farther away than Sunrise Park.

A knock on the door startled Rodney out of his thoughts, but before he could get up to answer it John popped his head in. 

“Hey. You hungry?”

Rodney just stared at him. He wouldn’t have blamed John if he cut ties with the entire McKay family and their ridiculous drama. Who wanted to get sucked up in that if they didn’t have to? But there he was, with a box full of take-out containers from the Lucky Wonton and a cheerful smile on his face.

“What are you doing here?” Rodney asked.

“I think it’s called dinner.”

“Yes, well, I’m not hungry.” Rodney plunked out a couple more notes.

John sat next to him on the piano bench, nudging him over with one bony hip. “Did you know I can play piano, too?”

“Oh, really?” Rodney asked, and it came out sounding a little more challenging than he’d anticipated. Maybe he wanted to pick a fight; that was the kind of mood he was in. 

“Really.” John made a show of cracking his knuckles and stretching his fingers. 

Rodney was expecting something like _Chopsticks_ , or _Heart and Soul_. But John wasn’t kidding. He could play. Not as good as Rodney, but pretty damn passable. Rodney wasn’t familiar with the song, though he was sure he’d heard the tune before. And then John started to sing, softly and just for him.

_Oh, why you look so sad?_  
_Tears are in your eyes_  
_Come on and come to me now_  
_Don't be ashamed to cry_  
_Let me see you through_  
_'cause I've seen the dark side too_

Rodney had to look away, his chest tight. John just leaned against him, so they were touching from shoulder to knee. He’d never let someone in this far before, and with John it had happened so damn fast. And despite Rodney’s crazy family, and his sometimes prickly personality, and his stupid allergy, John was still there.

_When the night falls on you_  
_You don't know what to do_  
_Nothing you confess_  
_Could make me love you less_

Rodney took a shuddering breath. It was just lyrics, he told himself. But John had chosen to sing him that particular song. Maybe Rodney would choose to believe John meant every word of what he was singing.

_I'll stand by you_  
_I'll stand by you_  
_Won't let nobody hurt you_  
_I'll stand by you_

He pulled John into a desperate kiss, the last notes disharmonious as John’s hands slipped off the keys. He cupped Rodney’s face, slowed the kiss down a little, and thankfully didn’t mention the tears on Rodney’s cheeks.

“Me, too,” Rodney said a little brokenly, his lips moving against John’s. “Me, too.”

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** Title from the [ song of the same name by Kelly Clarkson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra-Om7UMSJc).  
>  **Song List**
> 
> Minnie the Moocher, [ Cab Calloway version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mq4UT4VnbE) and [ piano cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgb2t6T3Weo).
> 
> I’ll Stand By You, The Pretenders ([ piano cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVsHQ8Rna_U) and [ live video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoZKgyM98aM))


End file.
